said doubtfully, ‘It seems to be the same.’
‘Don’t be a fool,’ he snapped. ‘It is the same. I studied the Mexican tray long enough, for God’s sake! Where’s our picture?’
Mrs Halstead produced it and they settled down to a comparison. ‘Not an identical replica,’ pronounced Halstead. ‘But close enough. Undoubtedly made by the same hand – look at the veining in the leaves.’
‘I guess you’re right.’
‘I am right,’ he said positively, and jerked his head round to me. ‘My wife said you’d let me see the tray.’
I didn’t like his manner – he was too damned driving and impolite, and perhaps I didn’t like the way he spoke to his wife. ‘I told her there wasn’t any reason why you shouldn’t see it. At the same time there doesn’t seem any reason why you should. Would you care to enlighten me?’
He didn’t like resistance or opposition. ‘It’s a purely professional and scientific matter,’ he said stiffly. ‘It forms part of my present research; I doubt if you would understand it.’
‘Try me,’ I said softly, resenting his superior and condescending attitude. ‘I can understand words of two syllables – maybe words of three syllables if you speak them very slowly.’
Mrs Halstead chipped in. ‘We would be very grateful if We could see the tray. You would be doing us a great service, Mr Wheale.’ She wouldn’t apologize for her husband’s unfortunate manner, but she was doing her best to drop some polite social oil into the works.
We were interrupted by Madge. ‘There’s a gentleman to see you, Mr Wheale.’
I grinned at Halstead. ‘Thank you, Mrs Edgecombe; show him in, will you?’
When Fallon walked in Halstead gave a convulsive jerk. He turned to me and said in a high voice, ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘Professor Fallon is here on my invitation, as you are,’ I said sweetly.
Halstead bounced to his feet. ‘I’ll not stay here with that man. Come along, Katherine.’
‘Wait a minute, Paul. What about the tray?’
That brought Halstead to a dead stop. He looked uncertainly at me, then at Fallon. ‘I resent this,’ he said in a trembling voice. ‘I resent it very much.’
Fallon had been as astonished to see Halstead as Halstead had been to see him. He stood poised in the doorway and said, ‘You think I don’t resent it, too? But I’m not blowing my top about it like a spoiled child. You were always too explosive, Paul.’ He advanced into the room. ‘May I ask what you think you’re doing, Wheale?’
‘Maybe I’m holding an auction,’ I said easily.
‘Umph! You’re wasting your time; this pair hasn’t two cents to rub together.’
Katherine Halstead said cuttingly, ‘I always thought you bought your reputation, Professor Fallon. And what you can’t buy, you steal.’
Fallon whirled. ‘Goddammit! Are you calling me a thief, young lady?’
‘I am,’ she said calmly. ‘You’ve got the Vivero letter, haven’t you?’
Fallon went very still. ‘What do you know about the Vivero letter?’
‘I know it was stolen from us nearly two years ago – and I know that you have it now.’ She looked across at me. ‘What conclusions would you draw from that, Mr Wheale?’
I looked at Fallon speculatively. The chemicals were mixing nicely and maybe they’d brew a little bit of truth. I was all for stirring up the broth. I said, ‘Do you have this letter?’
Fallon nodded reluctantly. ‘I do – I bought it quite legally in New York, and I have a receipt to prove it. But, hell, these are a fine pair to talk about theft. What about the papers you stole from me in Mexico, Halstead?’
Halstead’s nostrils pinched in whitely. ‘I stole nothing from you that wasn’t mine. And what did you steal from me – just my reputation, that’s all. There are too many thieving bastards like you in the profession, Fallon; incompetents who build their reputations on the work of others.’
‘Why, you son of a bitch!’ roared Fallon. ‘You had your say in the journals and no one took any notice of you. Do you think anyone believes that poppycock?’
They were facing each other like fighting cocks and in another minute would have been at each other’s throats had I not yelled at the top of my voice, ‘Quiet!’ They both turned, and I said in a calmer voice, ‘Sit down both of you. I’ve never seen a more disgraceful exhibition by two grown men in my life. You’ll behave yourselves in my house or I’ll turn the lot of you out – and neither of you will ever get to see this bloody tray.’
Fallon said sheepishly, ‘I’m sorry, Wheale, but this man got my goat.’ He sat down.
Halstead also seated himself; he glared at Fallon and said nothing. Katherine Halstead’s face was white and she had pink spots in her cheeks. She looked at her husband and tightened her lips and, when he maintained his silence, she said, ‘I apologize for our behaviour, Mr Wheale.’
I said bluntly, ‘You do your own apologizing, Mrs Halstead; you can’t apologize for others – not even your husband.’ I paused, waiting for Halstead to say something, but he maintained a stubborn silence, so I ignored him and turned to Fallon. ‘I’m not particularly interested in the ins-and-outs of your professional arguments, although I must say I’m surprised at the charges that have been made here this afternoon.’
Fallon smiled sourly. ‘I didn’t start the mud-throwing.’
‘I don’t give a damn about that,’ I said. ‘You people are incredible. You’re so wrapped up in your tuppenny-ha’penny professional concerns that you forget a man has been murdered because of that tray. Two men are already dead, for God’s sake!’
Katherine Halstead said, ‘I’m sorry if we appear so heartless; it must seem peculiar to you.’
‘By God, it does! Now, listen to me carefully – all of you. I seem to have been dealt a high card in this particular game – I’ve got the tray that’s so damned important. But nobody is going to get as much as a sniff at it until I’m told the name of the game. I’m not going to operate blindfolded. Fallon, what about it?’
He stirred impatiently. ‘All right, it’s a deal. I’ll tell you everything you want to know – but privately. I don’t want Halstead in on it.’
‘Not a chance,’ I said. ‘Anything you want to tell me, you do it here and now in this room – and that applies to you, Halstead, too.’
Halstead said in a cold rage, ‘This is monstrous. Am I to give away the results of years of research to this charlatan?’
‘You’ll put up or you’ll shut up.’ I stuck out a finger. The door’s open and you can leave any time you like. Nobody is keeping you here. But if you go, that leaves Fallon with the tray.’
Indecision
